Package opening support

ABSTRACT

A package, such as a bag or stand-up pouch, is described that includes a built-in opening support that can be actuated by the user to maintain the package in an open or wide-open configuration, thereby preventing or reducing the need to manually keep the front and back panels of the package separated as product is accessed. The opening support may be disposed near the opening end of at least one of the front or back panels and may be designed to be moved from an inactive position to an active position. In the inactive position, the opening support is disposed along one of the front panel or the back panel, whereas in the active position, the opening support extends between the front panel and the back panel, across a corresponding longitudinal seam of the package, to maintain the opening of the package in a wide-open position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/479,939, filed Apr. 5, 2015, which is a continuation of Ser. No.14/722,428, filed May 27, 2015, both of which are incorporated byreference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates in general to packaging for products, andmore particularly to bags and pouches, such as stand-up pouches. Thedisclosure is especially concerned with structures and techniques formaintaining a bag or pouch in a wide-open configuration to facilitate auser's access to the contents held therein.

Flexible materials, such as polymers and flexible films, are often usedto construct packages for products, such as bags and pouches. Suchpackages can be used to hold a variety of items, such as snack foodincluding trail mix, chips, nuts, fruit pieces, and other foods. In somecases, as in the snack food example, the type of product contained inthe package is meant for consumption by the user one piece or portion ata time. For example, the consumer may reach into the package to withdrawa portion of the snack food, put them in his or her mouth, and thenreach into the package again to obtain another portion for consumption.This pattern repeats until the consumer is full and/or does not want toeat any more of the package contents.

In another example, such as when the package is a large “family” or“party size” package, it is common for a consumer to open the packagecontaining the snack food and share the food with others. In this case,one person may reach into the package, withdraw one or more items forconsumption, then pass the package on to the next person who may then dothe same.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Embodiments of the invention described herein provide improved packagesand methods for constructing packages that provide a mechanism formaintaining the package in an open configuration, such that the mouth oropening of the package does not need to be manually held in an openposition. In cases in which the package is a bag or pouch made offlexible material, for example, the front and back panels of the packagemay need to be separated by the consumer to initially open the packageand then held in the separated, open position while the consumer reachesinside the package to withdraw an item for consumption.

Accordingly, embodiments of the invention include an opening supportdisposed near the opening of the package that is designed to span alongitudinal seam of the package and maintain the package opening in awide open configuration.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, a package is provided that includes afront panel defining an opening end, a base end, and two side edges, aswell as a back panel defining an opening end, a base end, and two sideedges. The back panel is connected to the front panel via longitudinalseams formed along respective side edges of the front and back panels.An opening support is disposed proximate the opening end of at least oneof the front or back panels, and the opening support is configured to bemoved from an inactive position to an active position. The opening endof the front panel and the opening end of the back panel define anopening of the package that is configured to provide access to contentsof the package when the package is opened by a user. In the inactiveposition, the opening support is disposed along one of the front panelor the back panel, whereas in the active position, the opening supportextends between the front panel and the back panel, across acorresponding longitudinal seam, to maintain the opening of the packagein a wide-open position. In some cases, the package may further comprisea base panel connecting the base end of the front panel to the base endof the back panel, such that the package is a stand-up pouch.

The opening support may comprise a flexible strip of material defining afirst end and a second end. In the inactive position, both the first endand the second end of the flexible strip of material may be removablyattached to one of the front panel or the back panel. In the activeposition, the first end of the flexible strip of material may beremovably attached to one of the front or back panels and the second endof the flexible strip of material may be removably attached to the otherof the front or back panels, such that the flexible strip of materialspans the corresponding longitudinal seam. Each of the first and secondends may include a region of pressure sensitive adhesive configured toremovably attach the flexible strip of material to a respective one ofthe front or back panels.

In some embodiments, the opening support may comprise a flexible stripof material defining a first end and a second end, where, in theinactive position, the first end is fixedly attached to one of the frontpanel or the back panel and the second end is removably attached to thesame one of the front panel or the back panel. In the active position,the second end may be configured to attach to the other of the frontpanel or the back panel, such that the flexible strip of material spansthe corresponding longitudinal seam.

The second end may include a region of pressure sensitive adhesiveconfigured to removably attach the flexible strip of material to arespective one of the front or back panels in the active position.Additionally or alternatively, an outer surface of a respective one ofthe front or back panels to which the second end is configured toremovably attach may comprise a receiving feature configured to engagethe second end. In some cases, the receiving feature may comprise aremovable flap comprising a region of pressure sensitive adhesiveconfigured to removably attach to the second end of the flexible stripof material in the active position. In other cases, the receivingfeature may comprise a protrusion, and the second end of the flexiblestrip of material may comprise an indentation configured to engage theprotrusion of the receiving feature in the active position.

In some embodiments, the opening support may be disposed on an outersurface of the package. In other embodiments, the opening support may bedisposed on an inner surface of the package. The opening support may, insome cases, comprise a rigid member defining a fixed end and a free end,where the rigid member is configured to be moved between the inactiveposition, in which the rigid member is disposed along one of the frontor back panels, and the active position, in which the rigid memberextends across the longitudinal seam. The free end may be configured toengage a receiving member disposed on the other of the front or backpanels when the opening support is in the active position. Moreover, thereceiving member may comprise a groove configured to receive the freeend of the rigid member to lock the rigid member in the active position.

In other embodiments, a method of manufacturing a package including anopening support is provided. The method includes forming a front paneldefining an opening end, a base end, and two side edges and attaching aback panel defining an opening end, a base end, and two side edges tothe front panel via longitudinal seams formed along respective sideedges of the front and back panels. An opening support is disposedproximate the opening end of at least one of the front or back panels,and the opening support is configured to be moved from an inactiveposition to an active position. The opening end of the front panel andthe opening end of the back panel define an opening of the package thatis configured to provide access to contents of the package when thepackage is opened by a user. In the inactive position, the openingsupport is disposed along one of the front panel or the back panel, andin the active position, the opening support extends between the frontpanel and the back panel, across a corresponding longitudinal seam, tomaintain the opening of the package in a wide-open position.

In some cases, the opening support may comprise a flexible strip ofmaterial defining a first end and a second end. In the inactiveposition, both the first end and the second end of the flexible strip ofmaterial may be removably attached to one of the front panel or the backpanel, and, in the active position, the first end of the flexible stripof material may be removably attached to one of the front or back panelsand the second end of the flexible strip of material may be removablyattached to the other of the front or back panels, such that theflexible strip of material spans the corresponding longitudinal seam. Apressure sensitive adhesive may be applied to at least one of the firstor second ends to form a respective region of pressure sensitiveadhesive that is configured to removably attach the flexible strip ofmaterial to a respective one of the front or back panels.

Additionally or alternatively, a receiving feature may be applied to anouter surface of a respective one of the front or back panels to whichthe second end is configured to removably attach, where the receivingfeature is configured to engage the second end. Applying the receivingfeature may comprise forming a protrusion that extends outwardly fromthe outer surface of the respective one of the front or back panels, themethod may further comprise forming an indentation in the second end ofthe flexible strip of material that is configured to engage theprotrusion of the receiving feature in the active position. In someembodiments, the opening support may comprise a rigid member defining afixed end and a free end. The rigid member may be configured to be movedbetween the inactive position, in which the rigid member is disposedalong one of the front or back panels, and the active position, in whichthe rigid member extends across the longitudinal seam.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described the disclosure in general terms, reference willnow be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarilydrawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a package, the package being a stand-uppouch, where the package is in a closed configuration;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the package of FIG. 1A, where thepackage is in an open configuration;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a package, the package being a bag,where the package is in a closed configuration;

FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the package of FIG. 2A, where thepackage is in an open configuration;

FIG. 3A illustrates a flexible strip of material forming an openingsupport in an inactive position according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 3B illustrates the opening support of FIG. 3A in an active positionaccording to an example embodiment;

FIG. 4A is a top view of the package with the opening support of FIGS.3A and 3B in the inactive position according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 4B is a top view of the package with the opening support of FIG. 4Ain the process of being moved from the inactive position to the activeposition according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 4C is a top view of the package with the opening support of FIG. 4Ain the active position according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 5A illustrates a receiving feature of an opening support in aninactive position according to another example embodiment;

FIG. 5B illustrates the opening support of FIG. 5A in an active positionaccording to an example embodiment;

FIG. 6A is a top view of the package with the opening support of FIGS.5A and 5B in the inactive position according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 6B is a top view of the package with the opening support of FIG. 6Ain the process of being moved from the inactive position to the activeposition according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 6C is a top view of the package with the opening support of FIG. 6Ain the active position according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 7A is a top view of a package with an opening support that includesa flexible strip of material and a receiving member in the form of aprotrusion in an inactive position according to another exampleembodiment;

FIG. 7B is a top view of a package with the opening support of FIG. 7Ain an active position according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 8A is a top view of a package with an opening support that includesa rigid member and a receiving member in an inactive position accordingto another example embodiment;

FIG. 8B is a top view of a package with the opening support of FIG. 8Ain an active position according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 9A is a top view of the package with the opening support thatincludes a flexible strip of material with an inward-facing region ofpressure sensitive adhesive in the inactive position according to anexample embodiment; and

FIG. 9B is a top view of the package with the opening support of FIG. 9Ain the active position according to an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings in which some but not allembodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, these inventions may beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legalrequirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

Conventional packages made of flexible materials, such as variouspolymer-based materials, are often used to hold food products, such asbaking ingredients (e.g., sugar, flax seed, oatmeal, etc.), snack foods(e.g., trail mix, nuts, fruit pieces, chips, etc.), and other bulkmaterials. Examples of such packages are illustrated in FIGS. 1A-2B. Asdepicted in the figures, such packages may, for example, have a frontpanel 10 and a back panel 20 that are joined to each other alongrespective side edges of the panels (e.g., via heat sealing) to createlongitudinal seams 30. In some cases, the packages may be gusseted, asshown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, to form stand-up pouches. Thus, a base panel40 may be connected to base ends 15, 25 of the respective front and backpanels 10, 20 to form the base of the stand-up pouch. In other cases,the base ends 15, 25 may be joined to each other without the use of anadditional base panel to form a bag, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B.

Either way, a consumer may open the package by separating the front andback panels 10, 20, such as by opening a closure feature 50 (e.g., azipper or tongue-and-groove mechanism) that joins the opening ends 16,26 of the front and back panels together (see FIGS. 1A and 1B) orseparating or cutting off a seal 55 provided at the opening ends 16, 26(see FIGS. 2A and 2B).

Due to the thickness and/or resilient properties of the materials usedto form the front and back panels 10, 20 of such packages, the opening60 of the package (shown in FIGS. 1B and 2B) may have a tendency torevert back towards the closed position (shown in FIGS. 1A and 2A) asthe front and back panels collapse towards each other. This results inthe consumer having to manually separate the front and back panels 10,20 each time he or she reaches in to withdraw additional product.

Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention provide a built-inopening support that can be actuated by the user to maintain the packagein an open or wide-open configuration, thereby preventing or reducingthe need to manually keep the front and back panels of the packageseparated as product is accessed. In this regard, the wide-open positionof the opening of the package may be considered a configuration of theopening (e.g., size, shape, and/or spacing) that allows a consumer toeasily reach into the package to withdraw product, without the need forfurther widening the opening. Embodiments of the invention areapplicable in, and may be embodied by, various kinds of packagesincluding stand-up pouches (e.g., FIGS. 1A and 1B), bags (e.g., FIGS. 2Aand 2B), or any other package that includes front and back panels joinedat longitudinal seams.

With reference now to FIGS. 3A-4C, an opening support 100 is shown inaccordance with one example embodiment. As shown, the opening support100 may be disposed proximate the opening end 16, 26 of at least one ofthe front or back panels 10, 20 and may be configured to be moved froman inactive position (FIG. 3A) to an active position (FIG. 3B). In theinactive position, the opening support 100 may be disposed along one ofthe front panel or the back panel. In the depicted example of FIG. 3A,for example, the opening support 100 is disposed along the front panel10. In the active position, the opening support may extend between thefront panel 10 and the back panel 20, across the correspondinglongitudinal seam 30, to maintain the opening of the package in an openposition, as shown in FIG. 3B. A top view of the embodiment shown inFIGS. 3A and 3B is shown in FIGS. 4A-4C.

In some cases, such as in the embodiment of FIGS. 3A-4C, the openingsupport 100 may comprise a flexible strip of material defining a firstend 105 and a second end 110. In the inactive position (FIGS. 3A and4A), both the first end 105 and the second end 110 of the flexible stripof material are removably attached to one of the front panel 10 or theback panel 20. In the active position (FIGS. 3B and 4C), the first end105 of the flexible strip of material is removably attached to one ofthe front or back panels 10, 20 and the second end 110 of the flexiblestrip of material is removably attached to the other of the front orback panels, such that the flexible strip of material spans thecorresponding longitudinal seam 30.

Said differently, a consumer would purchase the package with the openingsupport 100 in the inactive position. In the example shown in FIGS.3A-4C, the flexible strip of material forming the opening support 100 isinitially positioned such that the entire strip is attached to only oneof the panels 10, 20, such as the front panel 10 as shown. When theconsumer opens the package to access product held therein, he or shewould manually separate the front and back panels 10, 20 to open thepackage at the respective opening ends 16, 26. Rather than holding thepackage open with his or her hand while withdrawing product, theconsumer would move the flexible strip of material forming the openingsupport 100 in this embodiment from the inactive position (FIGS. 3A and4A) to the active position (FIGS. 3B and 4C), such that the flexiblestrip extends over and spans the corresponding longitudinal seam 30. Inother words, instead of both ends 105, 110 of the flexible strip beingattached to a single panel 10, 20, now one end 105 is attached to theback panel 20 and the other end 110 is attached to the front panel 10.In this way, the flexible strip serves to apply tension across thelongitudinal seam 30 to pull the attached portions of the respectivepanels 10, 20 away from each other, thereby maintaining an open positionof the package opening 60.

The flexible strip of material may be, for example, a strip of polymermaterial, such as polyethylene (PE) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET),polypropylene (PP), oriented polypropylene (OPP), nylon, biaxiallyoriented nylon (BON), etc. In some cases, each of the first and secondends 105, 110 of the opening support 100 may include a region ofpressure sensitive adhesive 120 (shown on the first end 105 in FIG. 4B)that is configured to removably attach the flexible strip of material toa respective one of the front or back panels. In that way, the user maybe able to peel opening support 100 from the first panel 10 (in theembodiment of FIGS. 3A and 4A, for example) and reposition the openingsupport across the respective longitudinal seam 30 to maintain thepackage in the open configuration, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 4C.

In this regard, the opening support 100 may, in some cases, be cut outof the material forming one of the layers of the package itself. In thecase of a package formed from a laminate structure having an outer filmlayer and one or more inner film layers, for example, the openingsupport 100 may be part of the outer film layer and may be defined vialaser scoring or die cutting the shape of the opening support out of theouter layer. The pressure sensitive adhesive 120 may thus be patternapplied between the outer film layer and an adjacent layer of thelaminate structure in the area of the opening support 100. The PSA mayremain with the opening support 100, thereby allowing the user tore-apply the opening support across the longitudinal seam 30 asdescribed above after it has been peeled away from the outer film layer.In other embodiments, however, the opening support 100 may be anadditional strip of material that is removably attached to the outersurface of the package (e.g., via adhesive), such as to the outersurface of an outer film layer of the package.

With reference now to FIGS. 5A-6C, in some embodiments, the openingsupport 100 may be configured such that one of the ends remains fixed toone of the panels of the package, while the other end is configured tobe moved to the other panel to support the opening. For example, asshown in FIG. 6A, the opening support 100 may comprise a flexible stripof material 130 defining a first end 135 and a second end 140. In theinactive position, the first end 135 may be fixedly attached to one ofthe front panel 10 or the back panel 20 (e.g., the front panel in FIGS.5A-6C). The second end 140 may, however, be removably attached to thesame one of the front panel 10 or the back panel 20 (e.g., the frontpanel in FIGS. 5A-6C). Thus, in the active position, the second end maybe configured to attach to the other of the front panel or the backpanel (e.g., the back panel 20 in FIGS. 5A-6C), such that the flexiblestrip of material 130 folds over onto itself to span the correspondinglongitudinal seam 30.

In this regard, the flexible strip of material 130 may include a notch132 or other hinge feature, such as a living hinge, that allows theflexible strip to bend at the location of the feature and, thus,facilitates a user's movement of the second end 140 from its original,inactive position (FIG. 6A) to its subsequent active position (FIG. 6C).

In some cases (not shown), the second end 140 of the flexible strip ofmaterial 130 may include a region of pressure sensitive adhesive, suchas on an outward-facing surface of the second end when the openingsupport is in the inactive position of FIG. 6A, and the region ofpressure sensitive adhesive may be configured to removably attach theflexible strip of material to a respective one of the front or backpanels 10, 20 in the active position. Although the region of pressuresensitive adhesive may initially be outwardly-facing (e.g., in theposition shown in FIG. 6A), when the flexible strip of material 130 isfolded over itself as shown in FIGS. 5B, 6B, and 6C, the region ofpressure sensitive adhesive may face the outer surface of the respectivepanel (the back panel 20 in the corresponding Figs.), such that thesecond end 140 can be removably attached to that panel and maintain theopening 60 of the package in a wide open position. In such embodiments,the region of PSA may initially be covered in the inactive position,such as by a liner, to prevent the PSA from being touched orinadvertently adhered to unintended surfaces.

In still other embodiments, however, the region of pressure sensitiveadhesive may be provided on an inward-facing surface of the second endwhen the opening support is in the inactive position, such that it isnot exposed and need not be protected by a liner. When moved towards theactive position, the flexible strip of material 130 may be folded overitself twice (e.g., once proximate the first end 135 and once proximatethe second end 140), such that the pressure sensitive adhesive ends upfacing the outer surface of the respective panel (e.g., the back panel20). This is illustrated in FIGS. 9A (inactive position) and 9B (activeposition).

In other cases, such as in the example depicted in FIGS. 5A-6C, an outersurface of a respective one of the front or back panels 10, 20 to whichthe second end is configured to removably attach may comprise areceiving feature 150 that is configured to engage the second end 140.As illustrated in FIG. 6B, the receiving feature 150 may comprise aremovable flap 155 comprising a region of pressure sensitive adhesive160 that is configured to removably attach to the second end 140 of theflexible strip of material 130 in the active position, as shown in FIGS.5B, 6B, and 6C. Accordingly, as shown in the depicted example, thesecond end 140 may, in the active position, be received between theouter surface 22 of the back panel 20 and an inner surface of theremovable flap 155 (e.g., the region of pressure sensitive adhesive160), thus being secured therebetween in the active position. Thus, inthese embodiments, the region of PSA 160 may be located on the receivingfeature 150 instead of or in addition to being located on the flexiblestrip of material 130.

In some cases, such as in applications where the package is not designedto be reusable, adhesives other than pressure sensitive adhesive may beused in the embodiments described above with respect to FIGS. 3A-6C.Such non-pressure sensitive adhesives may be configured to providegreater adhesive force between the opening feature and the package tomore permanently maintain the package in the open configuration.Moreover, although the embodiments described above with respect to FIGS.5A-6C include a region of pressure sensitive adhesive that is providedon an inner surface of the flap 155 (e.g., adjacent the outer surface ofthe package, but located on the receiving member 150), in otherembodiments the receiving member 150 may be configured such that theflap 155, when peeled away from the package, exposes an adhesive layerof the laminate forming the package itself. The flexible strip ofmaterial may thus, in some cases, be configured to adhere to thepackage, rather than to the receiving member 150, and in some cases thereceiving member may be designed to be completely separated from thepackage and thrown away once the adhesive layer is revealed. In suchcases, the receiving member 150 may comprise a portion of an outer layerof the laminate structure forming the package, for example, thereceiving member being defined by a cut line made in the outer layer ofthe package, as described above.

Turning to FIGS. 7A and 7B, in some embodiments, the receiving feature150 may comprise a protrusion 151 that is configured to be engaged withand mechanically attached to the second end 140 of the flexible strip ofmaterial 130. The protrusion 151 may, for example, be an outwardextension from the surface of the respective panel (e.g., the back panel20 in the depicted embodiment), and the portion of the extension closestto the attached panel may in some cases be narrower than the end of theextension farthest from the attached panel, as shown. The second end 140of the flexible strip of material 130 may, in turn, comprise anindentation 141 that is configured (e.g., sized and shaped) to engagethe protrusion 151 of the receiving feature 150 in the active position(e.g., when the second end has been moved towards the receiving featureand, in some cases, applied to the receiving feature with some degree offorce to effect the engagement). In some embodiments, the indentation141 may be cut all the way through the flexible strip of material 130,such that the indentation is a hole formed through the flexible stripthat is configured to form a friction fit with the protrusion 151 toeffect engagement.

Although the receiving feature 150 is shown and described above as aflap 155 with pressure sensitive adhesive 160 in some embodiments and asa protrusion 151 in other embodiments, various types of receivingfeatures may be used, including hooks, loops, slits, etc. provided onone or both of the flexible strip of material 130 and/or the receivingfeature 150 itself.

As described above and depicted in FIGS. 3A-7B and 9A-9B, in some casesthe opening support 100 is disposed on an outer surface of the package.In other embodiments, however, the opening support 100 may be disposedon an inner surface of the package, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. Withreference to FIGS. 8A and 8B, for example, the opening support maycomprise a rigid member 170 disposed on an inner surface of therespective panel (e.g., the inner surface 11 of the front panel 10 inthe depicted embodiment). The rigid member 170 may define a fixed end172 and a free end 174. The rigid member 170 may be configured to bemoved between the inactive position (shown in FIG. 8A), in which therigid member is disposed along one of the front or back panels, and theactive position (shown in FIG. 8B), in which the rigid member extendsacross the longitudinal seam 30. In essence, the rigid member 170 may beconfigured to push apart the front and back panels 10, 20 and maintain adistance between the two panels, thereby maintaining the opening 60 ofthe package in an open position.

In some cases, the free end 174 of the rigid member 170 may beconfigured to engage a receiving member 150 disposed on the other of thefront or back panels (e.g., the back panel 20 in the depictedembodiment) when the opening support is in the active position, as shownin FIG. 8B. For example, the receiving member 150 may comprise a groove153 configured to receive the free end 174 of the rigid member 170 tolock the rigid member in the active position. Once inserted into thegroove 153, for example, the free end 174 may remain in the groove untilwithdrawn by the user, thereby allowing the package to stay in theactive position (e.g., the open configuration) for as long as desired.

Although in the embodiments of FIGS. 8A and 8B the rigid member 170 isshown as being disposed on an inner surface of the respective panel, inother embodiments the rigid member may be disposed on an outer surfaceof the respective panel and may be configured similarly (with respect tomovement, position, and function) to the embodiments shown and describedin connection with FIGS. 5A-7B.

Embodiments of a method of manufacturing a package including an openingsupport as described above are also provided herein. The method may, forexample, comprise forming a front panel defining an opening end, a baseend, and two side edges and attaching a back panel defining an openingend, a base end, and two side edges to the front panel via longitudinalseams formed along respective side edges of the front and back panels.An opening support may be disposed proximate the opening end of at leastone of the front or back panels, where the opening support is configuredto be moved from an inactive position to an active position. The openingend of the front panel and the opening end of the back panel may definean opening of the package configured to provide access to contents ofthe package when the package is opened by a user. As described above, inthe inactive position, the opening support may be disposed along one ofthe front panel or the back panel, whereas in the active position, theopening support may extend between the front panel and the back panel,across a corresponding longitudinal seam, to maintain the opening of thepackage in a wide-open position.

As described above, the opening support may comprise a flexible strip ofmaterial defining a first end and a second end, wherein, in the inactiveposition, both the first end and the second end of the flexible strip ofmaterial are removably attached to one of the front panel or the backpanel. In the active position, the first end of the flexible strip ofmaterial may be removably attached to one of the front or back panelsand the second end of the flexible strip of material may be adhered tothe other of the front or back panels, such that the flexible strip ofmaterial spans the corresponding longitudinal seam.

In some embodiments, the method may include applying pressure sensitiveadhesive to at least one of the first or second ends to form arespective region of pressure sensitive adhesive configured to removablyattach the flexible strip of material (or a portion thereof) to arespective one of the front or back panels. In still other embodiments,a receiving feature as described above may be applied to an outersurface of a respective one of the front or back panels to which thesecond end is configured to removably attach. The receiving feature maybe configured to engage the second end, such that the package ismaintained in the open configuration.

For example, applying the receiving feature may comprise forming aprotrusion that extends outwardly from the outer surface of therespective one of the front or back panels, and the method may furtherinclude forming an indentation in the second end of the flexible stripof material that is configured to engage the protrusion of the receivingfeature in the active position.

In still other cases, as described above, the opening support maycomprise a rigid member defining a fixed end and a free end. The rigidmember may be configured to be moved between the inactive position, inwhich the rigid member is disposed along one of the front or backpanels, and the active position, in which the rigid member extendsacross the longitudinal seam.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which theseinventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is tobe understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specificembodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments areintended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a genericand descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A package comprising: a front panel defining anopening end, a base end, and two side edges; a back panel defining anopening end, a base end, and two side edges, wherein the back panel isconnected to the front panel via longitudinal seams formed alongrespective side edges of the front and back panels; and an openingsupport disposed proximate the opening end of and on an outer surface ofat least one of the front or back panels, the opening support configuredto be moved from an inactive position to an active position, wherein theopening end of the front panel and the opening end of the back paneldefine an opening of the package configured to provide access tocontents of the package when the package is opened by a user, wherein,in the inactive position, the opening support is disposed along one ofthe front panel or the back panel, and wherein, in the active position,the opening support extends between the front panel and the back panel,across a corresponding longitudinal seam, to maintain the opening of thepackage in a wide-open position.
 2. The package of claim 1, wherein theopening support comprises a flexible strip of material defining a firstend and a second end, wherein, in the inactive position, both the firstend and the second end of the flexible strip of material are removablyattached to one of the front panel or the back panel, and wherein, inthe active position, the first end of the flexible strip of material isremovably attached to one of the front or back panels and the second endof the flexible strip of material is removably attached to the other ofthe front or back panels, such that the flexible strip of material spansthe corresponding longitudinal seam.
 3. The package of claim 2, whereineach of the first and second ends include a region of pressure sensitiveadhesive configured to removably attach the flexible strip of materialto a respective one of the front or back panels.
 4. The package of claim1, wherein the opening support comprises a flexible strip of materialdefining a first end and a second end, wherein, in the inactiveposition, the first end is fixedly attached to one of the front panel orthe back panel and the second end is removably attached to the same oneof the front panel or the back panel, and wherein, in the activeposition, the second end is configured to attach to the other of thefront panel or the back panel, such that the flexible strip of materialspans the corresponding longitudinal seam.
 5. The package of claim 4,wherein the second end includes a region of pressure sensitive adhesiveconfigured to removably attach the flexible strip of material to arespective one of the front or back panels in the active position. 6.The package of claim 5, wherein when in the active position, theflexible strip of material folds over onto itself to span thelongitudinal seam.
 7. The package of claim 6, wherein the pressuresensitive adhesive is located on the outward-facing surface of thesecond end.
 8. The package of claim 5, wherein when in the activeposition, the flexible strip of material folds over onto itself twice tospan the longitudinal seam.
 9. The package of claim 8, wherein thepressure sensitive adhesive is located on the inward-facing surface ofthe second end.
 10. The package of claim 1 further comprising a basepanel connecting the base end of the front panel to the base end of theback panel, such that the package is a stand-up pouch.
 11. The packageof claim 1, wherein a single opening support is present.
 12. The packageof claim 1, wherein in the active position, the opening support appliestension across the longitudinal seam and pulls the front and back panelsaway from each other.
 13. The package of claim 1, wherein at least oneof the front and back panel comprises a laminate structure having atleast an outer film layer and an inner film layer, and wherein theopening support is a part of the outer film layer.
 14. The package ofclaim 13, wherein the opening support is scored or die cut in the outerfilm layer.
 15. A package comprising: a front panel defining an openingend, a base end, a first side edge and a second side edge; a back paneldefining an opening end, a base end, a first side edge and a second sideedge, wherein the back panel is connected to the front panel via a firstlongitudinal seam formed along the first side edge of the front paneland the first side edge of the back panel, and wherein the back panel isadditionally connected to the front panel via a second longitudinal seamformed along the second side edge of the front panel and the second sideedge of the back panel; and a flexible polymeric opening supportdisposed proximate the opening end of at least one of the front or backpanels, the opening support configured to be moved from an inactiveposition to an active position, wherein the opening end of the frontpanel and the opening end of the back panel define an opening of thepackage configured to provide access to contents of the package when thepackage is opened by a user, wherein, in the inactive position, theopening support is disposed along one of the front panel or the backpanel, and wherein, in the active position, the opening support extendsfrom the front panel to the back panel, across a correspondinglongitudinal seam, to maintain the opening of the package in a wide-openposition.
 16. The package of claim 15, wherein the opening support isdisposed on an outer surface of the package.
 17. The package of claim15, wherein the opening support is disposed on an inner surface of thepackage.
 18. The package of claim 15, wherein only one opening supportis present.
 19. A method of manufacturing a package including an openingsupport, the method comprising: forming a front panel defining anopening end, a base end, and two side edges; attaching a back paneldefining an opening end, a base end, and two side edges to the frontpanel via longitudinal seams formed along respective side edges of thefront and back panels; and disposing an opening support proximate theopening end of and on an outer surface of at least one of the front orback panels, the opening support configured to be moved from an inactiveposition to an active position, wherein the opening end of the frontpanel and the opening end of the back panel define an opening of thepackage configured to provide access to contents of the package when thepackage is opened by a user, wherein, in the inactive position, theopening support is disposed along one of the front panel or the backpanel, and wherein, in the active position, the opening support extendsbetween the front panel and the back panel, across a correspondinglongitudinal seam, to maintain the opening of the package in a wide-openposition.
 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising applyingpressure sensitive adhesive to at least one of the first or second endsto form a respective region of pressure sensitive adhesive configured toremovably attach the flexible opening support to a respective one of thefront or back panels.
 21. A method of manufacturing a package includingan opening support, the method comprising: forming a front paneldefining an opening end, a base end, and two side edges; attaching aback panel defining an opening end, a base end, and two side edges tothe front panel via longitudinal seams formed along respective sideedges of the front and back panels; and disposing a flexible polymericopening support proximate the opening end of at least one of the frontor back panels, the opening support configured to be moved from aninactive position to an active position, wherein the opening end of thefront panel and the opening end of the back panel define an opening ofthe package configured to provide access to contents of the package whenthe package is opened by a user, wherein, in the inactive position, theopening support is disposed along one of the front panel or the backpanel, and wherein, in the active position, the opening support extendsbetween the front panel and the back panel, across a correspondinglongitudinal seam, to maintain the opening of the package in a wide-openposition.
 22. The method of claim 21 further comprising applyingpressure sensitive adhesive to at least one of the first or second endsto form a respective region of pressure sensitive adhesive configured toremovably attach the flexible opening support to a respective one of thefront or back panels.